Government presses ahead on another leak case

WASHINGTON — In another case of the Obama administration investigating classified information improperly disclosed to reporters, the government is prosecuting a State Department expert on North Korea in a probe that appears to step into uncharted territory — by declaring that a journalist is committing a crime in disclosing leaked information.

In a case against State Department adviser Stephen Kim, investigators obtained a search warrant for some private emails of James Rosen, Fox News’ chief Washington correspondent, and they tracked Rosen’s comings and goings from the State Department.

An FBI agent seeking the search warrant spelled out the government’s view of the journalist’s role, saying the reporter is a co-conspirator and that there is probable cause to believe the reporter violated criminal law.